ST, GS or R?

[CRM]

Okay I've narrowed my choices down. I want shaft drive, I want torque, I want bulletproof, I want style and I want it all for $6-7000 :yes: I do over 20,000km per year - all year round riding. I ride to and through Auckland a lot which is an absolute pain with a wide-bodied bike (i.e. hard panniers). And I don't want a sportsbike so not RS's or S's.

I don't really need a GS but I would like one as they do touring reasonably well and you can reach places you can't on a roady. But to get one in my price range I'm going to go way high mileage and mid-90's. People tell me they are fine so long as you know the history etc BUT there is also the choice of the 1100R (or 850R). You can get these newer, cheaper and lower mileage and they are the same bike minus the back-road-ability.

Then there are the ST1100's - also meet my specs and you can get a reasonable one for my price. The downside is the complexity (meaning less you can do on them yourself) but hey - they are Honda's and I do like Honda's :love:. But after riding a couple of BMW's my heart is getting stolen away by their quirkiness :blink: And I know I haven't mentioned RT's and I like them but they are again just that bit more expensive so you have to go old/high km.

What does the collective wisdom of you lot think? Do I desert Mother Honda for the German hordes? If so which Fraulein (or possibly Frau) do I chose? :shutup:

[White trash]

Buy a late model, V7 Guzzi.

[martybabe]

'R' Beemers any size you like. I can't confirm it but I've read that the 850 R is the smoothest of the bunch. Not much wrong with the 1100/1150/1200 either, The paralever ride is a revelation.

[CRM]

Buy a late model, V7 Guzzi.

Like this one: http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Tourers/auction-337996315.htm ?

Must say I did look at it but don't know much about them (and it's out of my range - if I was going that high I'd get an RT). What is cost of parts/servicing like? Do they do high mileage well?

[CRM]

'R' Beemers any size you like. I can't confirm it but I've read that the 850 R is the smoothest of the bunch. Not much wrong with the 1100/1150/1200 either, The paralever ride is a revelation.

Yeah I've ridden both 850 and 1100. I did prefer the extra torque of the 1100 but in saying that I didn't get to open up the 850 much - just had a short ride. The 1100 was really smooth when you opened it up but a bit lumpy at lower speeds/revs - but that's just it's character - not a put-off.

[rogson]

Suzuki VX800 - great bike in this category at basement cost. Purchase decision boils down to whether you are a snob or not.

[BMWST?]

Okay I've narrowed my choices down. I want shaft drive, I want torque, I want bulletproof, I want style and I want it all for $6-7000 :yes: I do over 20,000km per year - all year round riding. I ride to and through Auckland a lot which is an absolute pain with a wide-bodied bike (i.e. hard panniers). And I don't want a sportsbike so not RS's or S's.

I don't really need a GS but I would like one as they do touring reasonably well and you can reach places you can't on a roady. But to get one in my price range I'm going to go way high mileage and mid-90's. People tell me they are fine so long as you know the history etc BUT there is also the choice of the 1100R (or 850R). You can get these newer, cheaper and lower mileage and they are the same bike minus the back-road-ability.

Then there are the ST1100's - also meet my specs and you can get a reasonable one for my price. The downside is the complexity (meaning less you can do on them yourself) but hey - they are Honda's and I do like Honda's :love:. But after riding a couple of BMW's my heart is getting stolen away by their quirkiness :blink: And I know I haven't mentioned RT's and I like them but they are again just that bit more expensive so you have to go old/high km.

What does the collective wisdom of you lot think? Do I desert Mother Honda for the German hordes? If so which Fraulein (or possibly Frau) do I chose? :shutup:

the rs is hardly a sport bike.... itsjust got a slightly more forward leaing position narrower bars ad a smaller fairing than the RT
why discount the bricks?
trademe link (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/CategoryAttributeSearchResults.aspx?search=1&mcat=0001-0026-1255-&sidebar=1&39=&40=BMW&153=rs&9=750&9=0&24=1990&24=0&51=0&51=0&sidebarSearch_keypresses=0&sidebarSearch_suggested=0)

[Highlander]

... And I don't want a sportsbike so not RS's or S's....





the rs is hardly a sport bike.... itsjust got a slightly more forward leaing position narrower bars ad a smaller fairing than the RT....

Is you can find a "S" in your price bracket it would be worth taking for a spin. Mine though designated as a "Sport bike", is a whole lot more "Tourer" in ride position than a number of others I tested in both clases.

[CRM]

Suzuki VX800 - great bike in this category at basement cost. Purchase decision boils down to whether you are a snob or not.

A couple of issues with them - I understand the range is quite poor and also my wife hates elevated rear seats so that sort of rules our cruiser style if I want to take her (and I do from time to time). Also a mate has one and has a real problem with scraping the pegs.

[CRM]

the rs is hardly a sport bike.... itsjust got a slightly more forward leaing position narrower bars ad a smaller fairing than the RT
why discount the bricks?
trademe link (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/CategoryAttributeSearchResults.aspx?search=1&mcat=0001-0026-1255-&sidebar=1&39=&40=BMW&153=rs&9=750&9=0&24=1990&24=0&51=0&51=0&sidebarSearch_keypresses=0&sidebarSearch_suggested=0)

Yeah I haven't actually ridden an RS but I have ridden a K100LT and disliked the whole feel of it - much more happy with the flat twins.

[CRM]

Is you can find a "S" in your price bracket it would be worth taking for a spin. Mine though designated as a "Sport bike", is a whole lot more "Tourer" in ride position than a number of others I tested in both clases.

Not too keen on the look of the S's. Just my taste but they look like a kayak with a wheel at each end to me :facepalm:. Some people think the R's are horrible but I quite like their quirky look.

[Hinny]

Do I desert Mother Honda for the German hordes? If so which Fraulein (or possibly Frau) do I chose? :shutup:

Pan Europeans (ST) were designed and built in Germany.
Superior bikes to the BMW in terms of Speed, Range, Reliability, Price, Service costs.
Both marques hold their value too well.

[kinger]

A completely unbiased view Hinny?:scooter:

[martybabe]

Not too keen on the look of the S's. Just my taste but they look like a kayak with a wheel at each end to me :facepalm:. Some people think the R's are horrible but I quite like their quirky look.

Seems to me you've set your sights on an 'R' and it's a good call in my book. For the record I agree with you on the 'S's looks . I'm not trying to persuade you here because I don't think it's the right bike for you but it is a real class act and sounds superb. If I had the money this baby would be on my shopping list. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-339372134.htm

[Hinny]

A completely unbiased view Hinny?:scooter:
Just revealing some of the reasons I chose a Pan.

[CRM]

Seems to me you've set your sights on an 'R' and it's a good call in my book. For the record I agree with you on the 'S's looks . I'm not trying to persuade you here because I don't think it's the right bike for you but it is a real class act and sounds superb. If I had the money this baby would be on my shopping list. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Sports/auction-339372134.htm

Yeah that is rather special - maybe as my second bike :shutup:

[CRM]

Pan Europeans (ST) were designed and built in Germany.
Superior bikes to the BMW in terms of Speed, Range, Reliability, Price, Service costs.
Both marques hold their value too well.

I haven't ridden one yet. There are a couple of nice ones around my price at the moment - an ex police one in Whakatane (1999) http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=336011811 and a lower km one in Greymouth (1998) http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=337626983.

I've heard that the electrics can hard to work on on the police ones as they are completely different. Also even though they might service them well they are hardly touring on them! (Probably sitting in motorway traffic overheating or started from cold then caned trying to catch a Busa doing 230.) What do you think?

I've also read that the timing belts need to be watched and replaced every 100,000k or so. Any other issues to watch out for with them?

Also coming from a VFR 800 what would they be like as far as cruising, cornering, parking etc? I'm not that tall and okay on the VFR but with something heaver I'd be concerned about height for slow-speed stuff.

Thanks.

[Hinny]

I haven't ridden one yet. There are a couple of nice ones around my price at the moment - an ex police one in Whakatane (1999) http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=336011811 and a lower km one in Greymouth (1998) http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=337626983.

I've heard that the electrics can hard to work on on the police ones as they are completely different. Also even though they might service them well they are hardly touring on them! (Probably sitting in motorway traffic overheating or started from cold then caned trying to catch a Busa doing 230.) What do you think?

I've also read that the timing belts need to be watched and replaced every 100,000k or so. Any other issues to watch out for with them?

Also coming from a VFR 800 what would they be like as far as cruising, cornering, parking etc? I'm not that tall and okay on the VFR but with something heaver I'd be concerned about height for slow-speed stuff.

Thanks.

The Greymouth bike would be my pick by a country mile. That's a beautiful looking bike.
Motors are bullet proof. I bought a spare motor for mine as it was going cheap. A motorbike mechanic saw it in my garage and asked why on earth would I want a spare motor. "You are never going to wear out the one in the bike." 320.000kms without drama is to be expected.
Rectifiers and alternators on early Pans were problematic but once they upgraded the alternator to 40amps they appear to have solved that problem.

Cop might be able to catch a Busa doing 230 but Busas go 70kph faster than that. You would have to be a very good rider on a fast bike to outrun a cop on one of these bikes.
A North Shore cop said he got an ST to 260. Too fast for NZ.
The bike seems to cruise best at way over the speed limit.

The Pan is a heavy bike but all the weight seems to disappear as soon as the wheels start turning. Having the fuel tank buried in the body lowers the Centre of Gravity and makes the bike feel a lot lighter than it is. Running on regular petrol is a bonus as well.
Full lock turns are easy.
They are a Sports Tourer and scraping pegs in the twisties becomes normal if you are in a hurry. I find mine very flickable, even with luggage.
And they are a tourer that will take you over every normal road in NZ. They handle gravel roads with aplomb. Not quite so easy doing the cross country stuff but that could just be me.:blink:
Maneuvering the bike manually i.e. pushing it, requires you to be careful of keeping it upright as once they start to go they can be difficult to stop. Hanging on should let the bike down onto the crash bar and so no drama. I push it from the right side with the side stand down.- Does the trick. Can spin the bike on the centre stand easily which is very convenient when in tight spots.
They are a fantastic bike that can transport two people, in comfort, safely at high speed and get you there without drama or fatigue.

[shafty]

What can I add to Hinny's advice?!

I've owned a VX800 (Loved it) R100R (Loved it) R1150R, cool bike and now a
ST1300. To buy a BMW equivalent to the St would have cost an extra $10,000.

When my ST13 was in for a radiator repair (Get a RadGuard!) I used a St1100 to finish the Southern Cross. It had 190,000 km's on it and purred like a kitten - it was great to ride!!

Also ST's are generally (but not exclusively!!!!) owned by more mature owners who pamper them.......

Have fun.....:woohoo:

[DIN PELENDA]

What Hinny say it x2, good advice.

[CRM]

Well typically I rode something that wasn't on the list, really liked it and bought it - an 06 Transalp 650. $6000.

The newness of it and the fact that I love adventure bikes tipped it for me. I'll put up with the chain (it's got a scott-oiler at least). It feels like a feather-weight compared to the other bikes I was trying and goes really well at normal-use speeds. I've grown up on the Honda 'X' bikes (XL175, XL350, XL250Degree, XR600 now XRV650) so there is a certain familiarity with it. :love: Looking forward to picking it up on Thursday and having a good ride :scooter:.

Thanks for your help guys - it helped clarify my thinking.

[Hinny]

Nice bike.
I am an Africa Twin fan; quite similar.

Now to get out there and do some adventuring.

[Highlander]

Also ST's are generally (but not exclusively!!!!) owned by more mature owners who pamper them.......

BMW's are supposedly in the realm of Old Men, are you suggesting they are a young fellas bike?


Not too keen on the look of the S's. Just my taste but they look like a kayak with a wheel at each end to me :facepalm:. Some people think the R's are horrible but I quite like their quirky look.


For the record I agree with you on the 'S's looks

I always thought BMW's were butt ugly. Long before I even considered buying the "S" I thought they were the best looking bike BMW made (Which isn't saying much -prettiest pig in the pen?). The look has grown on me since buying it, but I don't spend a lot of time looking at the bike when I ride, and it was the ride that sold me on it.

Still some folks like blonds, others prefer redheads... Each to their own I guess.

Enjoy the new bike CRM.
I bought a bike that wasn't even on my "worth considering" list until the opportunity presented itself. Funny how things work out sometimes. 18 months on, still get a buzz every time I ride it.

[dangerous]

Okay I've narrowed my choices down. I want shaft drive, I want torque, I want bulletproof, I want style and I want it all for $6-7000 :yes:
You decribe guzzi, try em and you will be introduced to a hole new group of people, but ya either like em or ya dont.



my heart is getting stolen away by their quirkiness :blink: GUZZI quirker than a quirkie thing, the diferance with the mb and mg quirks is the guzzi is an untamed quirk.
loveing the boxer cup and i aint a bmer lover.

226291

[White trash]

You decribe guzzi, try em and you will be introduced to a hole new group of people, but ya either like em or ya dont.


GUZZI quirker than a quirkie thing, the diferance with the mb and mg quirks is the guzzi is an untamed quirk.
loveing the boxer cup and i aint a bmer lover.

226291

The biggest thing that puts ME off Guzzis is the fucken owners of them......